The Assassin's Ring
by Silvan Arrow
Summary: Ever wonder how Yuan got his ring from that little sidequest? Well, here's how it may have happened. YuanMartel fluff for all you fans of that pairing. There's also some humor with Kratos and tomatoes. Enjoy!


The Assassin's Ring

Author's Note: Hey, it's Silvan Arrow, and I'm officially posting my first fanfic! Yay! This is just a little oneshot for all you Yuan/Martel fans. Ever wonder the whole story behind Yuan's ring? Well, this is just my little spin on that incident. Hope ya enjoy! Here's the disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia or any of its characters. They belong to Namco. Okay, enough chit-chat. Here's the story:

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Yuan trudged through Derris-Kharlan back to his room after another meeting with Mithos. It was the same routine, which, these days, was not a good thing. Once again Mithos had ranted and raved about the benefits of creating an Age of Lifeless Beings, saying that all humans were evil, inferior beings that had no right to live. Kratos had lost his temper again, just like in the last six meetings, and stormed angrily out of the room. The sound of the door slamming behind him had echoed all through Welgaia. This left Yuan with a half-crazed Mithos who was now angry at Kratos and had no one to vent his anger on except the blue-haired Seraph. 

Yuan sighed from mental fatigue as he entered his quarters, closed the door, and flopped down face-first on the bed. At least Kratos had that protozoan dog to cheer him up and keep him from casting Judgment on this whole planet. These meetings were so tiring…and so pointless. Mithos' words echoed in his mind: "If we create an Age of Lifeless Beings, everyone will be the same. No one will have to face the pains of discrimination. We know how it feels to be shunned from society better than anyone. This was Martel's last wish, and I will do this in memory of my sister."

"Martel…" Yuan whispered as he rolled over so he lay on his back and stared up at the ceiling. He looked at the ring on his right hand. "If only you were here. You would be able to do something about this and convince Mithos from attempting this crazy plan. I know this isn't what you wanted." He fought back the rising lump in his throat as he thought of her. Martel. The only love he had ever known. Even though it been nearly 4000 years since her death, the loss still created a void in Yuan's heart. That void, that dull heartache, would always be there, rising occasionally to plague his mind. Yuan closed his eyes and let his thoughts wander back in time to when Martel gave him that ring.

Flashback

Yuan had never known such happiness. Just last week he had asked Martel for her hand in marriage, and she had eagerly accepted. He smiled at the memory. She had thrown her arms around his neck and exclaimed, "Of course I will marry you! I'm so happy!" Of course, that was a far cry from her usual quiet, reserved nature. Now he looked around the campsite at his companions from his vantage point on a fallen log. It was Mithos' turn to cook dinner, which meant trouble for Kratos.

"I'm telling you, Mithos, I absolutely refuse to eat spaghetti!" Kratos exclaimed vehemently.

Mithos gave him a look of pure innocence as he stirred the sauce in a pot suspended above the campfire. Martel stood nearby and watched her brother cook. Yuan smiled at seeing the engagement ring on her finger. She hadn't taken it off since Yuan had proposed. "Now why on earth would you say that?" Mithos asked, feigning ignorance. "Martel and Yuan like it. Even Noishe likes it!" Noishe's ears perked up as he heard his name. He had been curled up near Yuan asleep.

"Yes, well, they actually enjoy eating…tomatoes," Kratos muttered, shivering as he said that last word.

"Oh my, are you allergic to tomatoes, Kratos?" Martel asked, immediately concerned. "In that case, you shouldn't eat them."

"No, it's not like that…" Kratos began.

"Then he must be afraid of them!" Mithos exclaimed. Kratos looked indignant. He wasn't afraid of anything! Mithos grinned as he dipped out a big spoonful of the spaghetti sauce and held it out in front of Kratos. "And the best way to overcome a fear is to face it head-on! You yourself taught me that." Kratos sent the boy a death glare and started backing away from the spoon as Mithos kept advancing. "Come on, Kratos, you know you want to try it."

Kratos' eyes widened, and a bead of sweat trickled down his face. "Hey, Noishe, back me up here!" he called, imploring his pet to help him. Noishe yawned and got to his feet. He casually strode over and took in the scene before him: Mithos holding a spoon dripping with spaghetti sauce at arm's length in front of Kratos, who looked frightened out of his mind and was backed against a tree with nowhere to run. Both friends glanced over at Noishe as he looked back and forth between the two for several long moments and then…howled. Kratos sweat-dropped and exclaimed, "Noishe! How is that supposed to help me!" Noishe whined and went back to his spot near Yuan, curled up, and promptly fell asleep. Mithos took this opportunity to step closer and wave the spoon in front of Kratos' face menacingly. The young half-elf couldn't help but laugh at his human friend's predicament.

Yuan watched his two friends bicker in amusement. This sort of thing had become more common lately, and it always made for great dinner entertainment. He felt a soft tap on his shoulder and immediately smiled warmly upon seeing Martel. "What is it, Martel?" Yuan asked gently.

"Um…I was hoping I could talk to you in private for a minute," Martel replied with a blush. She was obviously nervous about something.

"Of course," Yuan replied. He got to his feet, took her hand, and led her farther in the forest. Kratos and Mithos would have to sort out their tomato-related differences without him this time. The couple finally reached a secluded clearing in the forest, with only the stars dotting the ebony sky as witnesses. "Now, what do you want to tell me?" Yuan asked.

Martel took a deep breath and began: "Well…you gave me such a beautiful engagement ring, but I had nothing to give you." She pulled out a small box from her pocket and held it out. "This is for you."

Yuan took the box with trembling fingers and opened it, tears springing to his eyes at what was inside. (A/N: I can't remember exactly what the ring looked like. Sorry! I will make revisions if necessary.) It was a ring with a small pink gemstone set in the middle. He looked more closely at the band and saw the engraved angelic characters that spelled "I love you."

"Martel…" he breathed. "You didn't have to…"

"But I wanted to," Martel cut him off. "I want it to symbolize the eternal love I will always bear for you. You have always been there for me…ever since I was a child, and I wanted to express my feelings in some way."

Her words melted Yuan's heart. He took the ring out and put the box in his pocket. He held it out to Martel. "Here. I think you should do the honors." Martel smiled and carefully slid the ring onto the ring finger of his right hand. Yuan didn't have the heart to tell her that it actually was supposed to go on his other hand. He pulled her into a warm embrace and said, "Thank you, my love. You don't know how much this means to me. I will always love you."

"I love you too," Martel said, her head resting on his shoulder. Yuan reached down and cupped her cheek with one hand, bringing her face up to meet his gentle gaze. He leaned in and captured her lips in a long, soft kiss as he continued to hold her in his arms. Both lovers closed their eyes and simply cherished each other's presence as the stars smiled down on them from the infinite sky.

End flashback

Yuan had never taken that ring off his finger since that day. It was the only reminder he owned of his dear fiancé. She had died only a few days before their wedding. He could understand Mithos' feelings for wanting to revive Martel, but he also knew that no one could truly bring back the dead. Martel was gone forever, and Mithos still had to accept that fact. Even if he could place her spirit in a body, it wouldn't be the same. Things could never go back to the way they were 4000 years ago. Yuan had learned to move on, but he would always carry both the love and the heartache for the rest of his life.

The Seraph gave a start when he heard a knock on his door. He quickly got to his feet and called, "Come in." A familiar face walked in. "Oh, it's you, Kratos. What bring you here?"

"I wanted to see if you were still in one piece," Kratos replied. "You were the only one left to face Mithos' wrath after I left."

"Oh," Yuan said absently. "Yes, I'm still alive, and I'm quite surprised to see you in one piece as well. I was sure Mithos would haven hunted you down and given you a piece of his mind by now."

"Nope. That will probably happen tomorrow," Kratos replied. He noted the sad expression in his friend's eyes. "You don't look like yourself. You were thinking of Martel again, right?" Yuan looked away and nodded. Kratos placed a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "There was nothing you could have done…nothing any of us could have done. You must stop blaming yourself and try to look to the future."

"I know. You're right," Yuan replied as he met his friend's eyes. He smirked and remarked, "You know, you actually say something intelligent once in a millennia."

Kratos glared. "I'll ignore that…for now."

End

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Author's Note: Well, that's my first story for ya. Please read and review! 


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